Da'shawn Hand's New Top Three

As speculated yesterday, Virginia Tech has been removed from consideration. His new Top three are Michigan, Bama, and Florida.
@rivalsmike: Da'Shawn Hand has eliminated the #Hokies and #Gamecocks and has a top 3 of #Alabama, #Florida and #Michigan. #LSU and #USC could get trips.

Per SBNation, who has some quotes from Hand, that is precisely the reason (LINK).

Straight from Hand himself:

"I eliminated Virginia Tech because they don't offer a sports marketing program. And with South Carolina, the professor just didn't wow us. "

...and regarding Michigan and Alabama:

"At Michigan, the [sports marketing] program was so impressive, I wanted to sign up right there. During my visit to Alabama, I met the dean of their [sports marketing] program, and it's an excellent program."

For a recruit who seems to see through BS, it's not a terrible thing. Saban is not totally full of poo like Urban Meyer is, and he's great at getting the most out of his players, but I think Hand is going to see that Alabama doesn't offer quite as much as Mich, total college experience considered.

I have the ESPN Insider. You are right. It is a great deal and is very cheap for what you end up getting. I didn't use it as much until they came up with Wolverine Nation. Now I use the Insider quite a bit which is well worth it.

In this case here I think what everyone was saying is that they were expecting some tidbit of information besides just a link.

The problem is that you don't get access to Insider until you start getting the magazine which takes 8-10 weeks to start from when you sign up. I know because I signed up a few weeks ago when the latest great deal was announced and was really bummed to learn that I would have to wait this long because I only signed up for the Insider access.

I think it bodes well for us being in his ear so long and that he loves our staff, but if you were 17 and the best player in the country it would be hard not to take a look at Bama and all there rings and early draft picks.

Sam Webb just got off the phone with D. Hand and he's going to cover it on the other side of this commercial break. He said Michigan just took a major step in the direction of landing Hand. Sam sounds VERY giddy....tune in!

The "revelation" is that Hand dropped VaTech (which should be a reminder of how ridiculously well informed we MGoCultists are) and he is now considering Alabama because he likes their engineering program, and was blown away by the engineering professor he spoke with. He also said something about how the professor is a "football guy" and Sam doesn't know what that even means.

Sam reitereated several times that this is "a step closer" to Michigan landing Hand because he believes it is about relationships and he implied that Alabama would not be able to make up the ground that Michigan already has in that department. He kept saying again and a gain that he could never have imagined that Hand would drop Virginia Tech but the academics aspect was just too important. Ira was blown away by that part. I think that is basically everything.

I think someone said above Alabama is 122nd in engineering whereas Michigan is typically top 5. For comparisons sake, I think MSU, Tech, and Western are all in the top 50 so Alabama at 100+ effectively means their engineering school is a big joke

I think the real reason he dropped VT isn't because of the sports managment program. I don't have any concrete info but logic dictates that if he considers Alabama's engineering program and he still really liked the coaches at VT he wouldn't just drop them because of no Sports Management. That would mean he would have to drop Alabama too because no SM.

Oh, I agree. There always seems to be someone who knows somebody, and more often than not it doesn't exactly pan out the way they say it will. However, he said it definitively before anybody. I wondered while I was reading it what the reaction would be either way and I was really hoping he was right. think one or two people might owe him an apology.

I've heard rumors (not sure how legit as they're VT guys) that he's been buying into Saban's pitch that he could play the Jack LB position in their 3-4 and slide down to DE when they go to the 4-man front nickel they play quite a bit. While I think he's more of a pure 4-3 SDE and could potentially be an instant impact guy in the B1G, I can't entirely blame guys for buying what Saban's selling given how successful his defenses have been lately.

If you think he's a pure 4-3 SDE, I think you're underrating his athleticism. I think he could play WDE, and I also think he could be an strongside OLB in a 3-4 look. Long-term (later college years, NFL, etc.), I think he probably fits best as a SDE but you might as well use his athleticism while he's got it. He's probably going to lose some of his quickness and burst once he bulks up to 285-290.

I consider this good news even if its Alabama. He had 2 major loves - one was dropped. He is replacing that with a new fling. Do you go with one of your 2 original loves or a fling? Yes I understand the fling is the current Victoria Secret model but who do you marry - her or the love? ;) His personality is not that one of a Treadwell - so take that into account.

p.s. I expect this to be a long slog - I mean he is going to Michigan for the ND game and that is months away so the # of Hand speculation posts between now and committment day is going to be enormous. Just let it play out - a long road ahead.

p.s.s. you guys are fast, just saw Sam's tweet and headed over here and already 24 posts sheesh.

Sam says he would consider sports management at Michigan and engineering at Alabama. Head of engineering school at Alabama is a "football guy" which resonated with Hand, per Webb. But Webb says Michigan will be hard to beat since it will be very dependent on relationships and Hand is a relationship guy.

Overall Sam sounds very happy since VaTech dropped out. He thinks it is huge - Webb would not have predicted that... and says Hand wouldnt have either (and it came down to academics - that VaTech did not offer).

Sam leaves the segment with Marcus Ray to take the call. He tells Sam that he has definitely OUT, no doubts about it, regardless of his relationship with Bud Foster. This was due to academics.....not offering Sports Marketing. He loves our Sports Marketing program and was blown away with the presentation he was given. Alabama is in the picture due to "engineering"....due to a prof that is a "football guy". Hmmmm.....that seems a little odd seeing that M and VT both have good engineering programs. Webb thinks M is going to be VERY tough to beat, he sounds like an excited 12 year old girl. I think he's getting that gut feeling.....

What doesnt make sense is Alabama doesnt have sports marketing, it has engineering. And Im sure VATech has engineering. Hence I find it circular and frankly I think Hand is just trying to come up with a reason.

If he was choosing a progam at Bama that VaTech does not offer that is one thing - but to say a certain program is lacking at VaTech (sports management) but choose Alabama which also lacks that program.. well it sounds like he is just trying to come up with a reason to let Bud F down gently.

VT definitely has engineering. After the sugar bowl I met a few of their players, and they were nothing but very impressive, smart, polite young men who were committed to engineering and football together. /anecdote

Yes, which makes the comments about willing to go to Alabama for engineering but not VATech for engineering (and instead focusing on lack of sports management) speak to a much larger point. Looks like he just is trying to find a reason to drop a long standing relationship. The academic reason for dropping VaTech makes no sense - it would have come up months ago if lack of sports management at VaTech was true reason. Anyhow as long as it is not us, the exact reason doesnt matter much to me.

he thinks relationships with the coaches will be huge in his final decision, which will put Michigan in very good position. He also said Prof. Mark Rosentraub's academic presentation "blew away" DaShawn on his campus visit.

Was tired of being outside on this one. Just figured out the whole RDT/WolverineBag thing. Holy shit that was confusing. Did anoyone ever figure out why the hell he made two different accounts and wanted to pose as a Bama fan?

The way everything is falling I think Hand comes here. And I am not a rose (or maize) colored optimist. A lot of this comes from (a) his personality - introspective, intellectual and (b) his reaction to OSU visit which mirrors the SEC programs in "intensity" lol. He just seems like a fit for a Michigan Stanford type program and with the now long courtship and type of culture Hoke has, he seems like the type of kid who fits like a glove in the intangibles department with the school.

That said, I am preparing for months of speculation and jumping on and off bridges - will be very interesting to hear how his and Peppers relationship develops in the coming months as well.

Don't take it personally. Not sure if you were around for the Roll Damn Tide fiasco, but we're all sorta in a once bitten, twice shy situation right now. Great, crowd sourced info like this is a big reason I visit the site, so keep it coming even if you get flamed (doubtful now that you've been vindicated big time).

I'm glad Hand is considering Alabama. Why wouldn't you want to go to one of the best football schools in the country, if you're one of the best athletes in the country? If Michigan wants to compete with the best, we need athletes who are considering going to Alabama, Florida, USC, LSU, Texas A & M, Ohio, Stanford, Texas, etc.

I also get tired of people who can't understand why someone would even consider another school academically. Alabama certainly isn't Michigan, but you can get a good education at a number of schools.

I understand your point, but it's different with each recruit. I am surprised that someone who is as focused on academics as Hand is considering Alabama. To me that clearly indicates football is a priority over acadmics and that we are going to be in a dog fight for Hand.

Off topic but sort of on topic - how does Hand look relative to Clowney when he was coming out? Is Hand at that level of beastliness? Or is this a down year for DEs making him the default #1 so-to-speak?

Clowney is a rare commodity. It would be very difficult to expect a high school junior to compare with next year's potential #1 draft pick. That said, Hand is a beast and will be an impact player wherever he ends up (hopefully with the good guys).

Many say Clowney would be the #1 overall pick if college kids could come out after their frosh or soph years. So hard to compare people to a "generational" type of talent like that. With that said, Taylor contained him nicely ;)

"I eliminated Virginia Tech because they don't offer a sports marketing program. And with South Carolina, the professor just didn't wow us. I have the utmost respect for Virginia Tech and South Carolina, and their coaches, and wish them the best of luck.

At Michigan, the [sports marketing] program was so impressive, I wanted to sign up right there. During my visit to Alabama, I met the dean of their [sports marketing] program, and it's an excellent program. He actually played football, and he gets it. And I haven't been to Florida, yet, but I've heard their defensive coaching staff and that defensive line with coach [Brad] Lawig and coach D.J. Durkin is amazing. And Alabama's engineering program was working on a $25M project when I was down there."

I feel positive that we are a strong contendor for the #1 player in the country. If you look at his final 5 teams, that's pretty good company. For some reason I have been kind of "meh" regarding his final choice. But now I'm starting to believe we could actually land the #1 and #2 players in the country and all this after an 8-5 season. Do you think this is an anomaly and these guy's personalities just happened to match up with Michigans or could this be more of the norm for the future?

Peppers is a unique case in that Michigan was his childhood dream team. Consider his top 2 of Stanford and Michigan. Let's be blunt and say that is not the normal top 2 for a top 5 team, even as homers. You'd usually have a few SEE EEE CEEE teams in there, a USC, a Michigan/OSU/ND mix etc.

Hand is unique just from a personality standpoint and again its a weird top 2 (or was a weird top 2) in that none of the typical players were involved again ... well until today with the new top 3.

I think the other thing that helps here is these are east coast kids and college football is not huge on the east coast in terms of national powers. When a kid from New Jersey or Virginia is top 5 rather than a kid from Florida, Texas, Cal, Ohio, PA etc it opens up the roadmap more. Contrast this with Fournette which is basically a LSU lean and until recently no one thought would even look outside the "normal characters".

I see Fournette as a Treadwell type guy. Heavy lean to a particular school for the entirety of the process. We point to a lot of Michigan recruits as trying to find a reason not to commit. It works both ways, so maybe Fournette has stated LSU leads, but isn't in love with them as much as many think. Man, is my glass full, but I feel like we have a shot...

I think that from what Laura Hoke said to me, Treadwell was someone who was wowed by a "red carpet" experience. He (and his mom) liked all the bells and whistles and steak and lobster and bling. That is NOT Hoke or Mattison or Borges, and they're not going to change. They're not going to coddle a recruit and promise the sun, moon and stars, and then things change once you're on the team.

One of the things that has been consistent with the recruits coming in is that they know what they're getting at Michigan. Michigan in and of itself has great facilities, coaches, and the like. But partly this is a personality thing. Some people like to be wowed, some people like it straight.

I'll tell you a personal story by way of analogy. I remember when I first met my wife, thinking, wow, she looks pretty good without makeup, etc. There were other girls who might have looked better when they were all dolled up, but they took a half hour or so to put on their makeup every morning, and weren't that good looking without putting all this stuff on. I thought to myself, I like the way my wife looks, with or without makeup. I'd like waking up next to her. I liked that I saw the real woman, and was still pleased.

Hand strikes me as one of those no nonsense guys, no BS guys, what you see is what you get. He wants the same from coaches or programs he is looking at.

Now, Fournette, I know nothing about. But I'd tend to think that he is a guy who wants to work hard and be around good coaches and good athletes who are willing to do what it takes to win. Especially with Peppers, but possibly Hand and a few others, and the coaching rep of Mattison (possibly Borges,) he could see a good thing building here. And want to be part of it.

I really haven't seen any interviews with Fournette. Take it FWIW, but that probably means he's really not a flashy, attention-seeking guy, and just likes to be low-key. If that's the case, and we get him to visit, we really may have a chance.

On the one hand, I think it's clear we are going to be recruiting at a very high level for the foreseeable future. On the other hand, I do think the stars aligned at least a little bit - how often is it that both the #1 and #2 players are truly that dedicated to academics and finding the right SCHOOL (not just the right football program) and it's not just the usual lip service?

re: Alabama, the Sports Management graduate program is part of their Human Environmental Sciences department. Although there is no sports mgmt undergrad major/concentration, it'd be easy enough based on what i'm seeing in the course catalog to design a custom curriculum with a sports/general management focus, and they do have a sports mgmt elective (although it's just a single course). Could be what they're selling to Hand.

Shocked I seen this. Fellow wolves, lets not rule out Nick Satan! What a change of events quickly...due to this not making much sense scares me. Due to VT being hometown I thought would be in it due to respect.

Due to a vicious tackle that may or may not have actually happened (I get forgetful whenever Michigan loses) in last year's bowl game, I like to stay away from the word "Clowney" or any variation of that.

To everyone unsure of Hand's excitement over Bama's engineering program, while ours is clearly superior, you have to realize that our program is extremely intense, both in course difficulty and in workload, and your average football player can't just take a couple of engineering classes, pass them easily, and walk away with a degree. Guys like Jordan Morgan are absolutely the exception. What I get from him being impressed by Alabama's program is less "it's the best I've ever seen!" and more "it's the best I've ever seen that I could reasonably balance with being a star athlete at a major university," which I think is reasonable. The head of the department being a "football guy" just says to me that he understands what Hand's football workload will be like, and won't make his life impossible with academics, as Michigan's elite engineering program would do.

Only school out of those other four (including the two that "could" get visits) that concerns me is Alabama, and that didn't concern me until the rumblings that have just recently been coming out. Until last week, I would have considered this a lock (basically us and then putting a couple others out there to make it feel like a contest) but now I see it as maybe 75% us, 25% Alabama.